A/N – This is an eight year fic, a snarry, Draco and Harry are friends. Most characters are alive (Dumbledore, Severus – Obviously, Fred, Remus and Tonk's) but Voldemort is dead. I hope you enjoy, please read and review x
Harry walked into the Potions classroom five minutes late and took the seat next to Draco silently. His eyes were rimmed red and he looked like he had had absolutely no sleep. Draco looked at him worriedly.
"Where have you been? I was worried," He asked. He and Harry had become friends at the end of the war and it was only because of the saviour that Draco was back at Hogwarts for an 'eighth' year at all.
"I slept late," Harry muttered.
Draco had no way of knowing if that was true because although the eight year boys all shared one big dorm, (Same for the girls) Harry spelled his curtains shut every night so no one would notice when he wasn't there.
"You are five minutes late Mr Potter," Snape sneered.
"I know," Harry said shortly.
"And do you have a reasonable excuse, or should I kick you out now and save myself from listening to your drivel?"
"Do as you like, you normally do," Harry snarled. The other students all looked shocked at his nerve but Draco narrowed his eyes. It looked like Harry and Severus had fallen out. Big time.
"Forty points from Gryffindor and a week's detention Potter, now either sort out your attitude or get out," Snape said his eyes narrowed dangerously.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Fine. See you later Draco," and with that he picked his bag back up and walked out of the classroom.
Snape stared at the open dungeon door for a second before he walked out of it after Harry. Draco dithered for a second before following them. He found them in the next corridor along.
"I don't care how upset you are Potter, you do not, ever, speak to me like that in the classroom."
"I'll do as I like. After all, I'm sure everyone in that classroom would love to know how we've been together for nearly six month before you told me that you were using me for sex and are now bored. Let's go and tell them. I wonder how much respect you'll get then?"
"You'll do nothing of the sort! How would that effect your sterling Golden boy reputation?"
Draco shook his head. Severus really didn't know Harry if he thought that he would give a hoot about his reputation.
"Severus, I won't tell anyone, you know that, and you also know that the only reason I won't tell anyone is to protect you. But please, leave me the hell alone."
"You need potions to be an Auror Potter. I suggest you get back in the classroom, right now, before I ban you from it for the year."
"No. I'm going to see Dumbledore. I'll be in the next class Sir. On time."
Draco heard Harry walk away and hurried back into the classroom before Severus caught him.
HPxSS
Harry spoke the Password (Chocolate Frogs) to the gargoyle and made his way up to the headmasters office. When he knocked on the door and Dumbledore called him to enter he walked into the room, dropped his bag and sat in the chair in front of the desk with his head in his hands.
"Harry, dear boy, whatever is the matter?" Albus asked shocked. He had not seen Harry in such a state since he killed Voldemort.
"I don't know what to do. I love him and he was just using me and now I have to see him every fucking day and I can't do it!" Harry said, before a sob caught in the back of his throat.
Albus ushered Harry onto a sofa he conjured and sat next to him with his arm around him as he cried. When Harry calmed a little he sat him up gently and had Dobby fetch them both a cup of tea.
"I'm going to take a wild guess and say this is about Severus?"
"Of course. Who else can get me in such a state?"
"And what has happened? Last time I saw the pair of you, you were all loved up."
"I told him I loved him last night, and all of a sudden he got really cold. He told me he thought I knew it was just a sex thing, and that I was foolish to get emotions involved. He told me he was bored of me Albus, like I'm a toy he can throw away when he feels like it."
Albus was angry. Nobody messed with Harry while he was around, not even Severus, who was surely like a son to him.
"Ah. Potions this morning didn't go well then?" he asked, pulling in his anger. He knew he had to be there for Harry and he couldn't do that well with a temper.
Harry explained what happened. "I can't do the detention with him. I admit, I shouldn't speak to a teacher that way and I deserve the detention, but I refuse to do it with him."
"Harry, I shall speak with Severus and have him either revoke the detention or hand it over to me. I am sure we can find something to do to fill the time. I find I haven't been bowling for a while."
Harry laughed and Albus twinkled a little. Now to deal with a certain Potions master.
HPxSS
It was lunchtime. Harry sat at the end of the eight year table playing with his food whilst Draco tried to find out what was going on. Harry eventually told him what happened. Draco couldn't believe it. He had thought they were so good together; they brought the best out in each other.
"What a fucking scumbag," Draco muttered as Ron and Hermione sat across from them.
"Harry what on earth were you thinking in potions this morning?" Hermione scolded him whilst getting some dinner.
"It was bloody brilliant," Ron chortled.
"Has he banned you from Potions?" Hermione asked.
"No. Dumbledore sorted it. That's where I went when I left class." Harry didn't want to talk to Ron and Hermione about it. They knew nothing about the relationship between him and Severus and Harry wanted to keep it that way.
"You can't always run to the headmaster when something doesn't go your way," Hermione muttered.
Draco snapped. "Look Granger, you have absolutely no fucking idea what's going on, so drop it."
"Don't speak to Hermione like that," Ron snarled. He looked at Harry. "Keep your pet ferret on a tighter leash."
"Why? He's right. She has no idea why I went to see the headmaster. It was bollocks all to do with Potions, so she should keep her thoughts to herself."
Hermione looked like she was about to cry. "The only reason I don't know what's going to is because you won't tell me."
"You're not my mother Hermione. You don't need to know everything about my life."
"But it's okay for Malfoy to know?" Ron questioned. "Since when has he been your best friend. We've always been there for you!"
"Where the hell were you when he fell apart after the final battle? Where were you when he tried to top himself? Where were you when he thought everyone thought he was a murderer? You were celebrating the fact the papers said you were heroes and lapping up the attention that came with being Harry's best friends!" Draco stormed and Harry looked at him gratefully.
"What?" Both of them looked shocked at the revelations Draco had just spouted at them.
"You weren't there," Harry whispered before standing up. "You weren't there when I need you, like I would have been for you."
And with Draco walked out of the hall to the next lesson. They stood outside the transfiguration corridor, Draco had Harry wrapped in a hug.
"I need to sort myself out. I just don't know how," Harry muttered as he pulled away.
"It's a Hogsmead trip tomorrow and we're of age. We'll go and get sozzled in the three broomsticks," Draco said, happy to see the small smile on Harry's face.
HPxSS
Harry and Draco stood in the three broomsticks, a firewhiskey apiece eyeing up the talent. Harry had told Dumbledore what they had planned before they left and that they would be late. All students who were of age could stay out as late as they wanted as long as they told a staff member where they were and what they had planned.
Suddenly Harry groaned and Draco followed his eye line to see Severus walking towards the bar.
Draco turned back to Harry. "Turn around and ignore him," he muttered and then started chatting about the very nice behind of a man a little bit away from where they stood.
Harry chuckled and shook his head at his friend. He really was one of a kind.
They spent the rest of the night chatting, flirting and dancing with different people, although Harry could feel the heavy stare of his ex on him for most of the night.
When Madam Rosmerta called for last orders, Harry and Draco got ready to leave. They waved goodbye to their new friends, and began walking the long road up to Hogwarts.
They bumped into Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson on the way and couldn't help but laugh. Blaise seemed to be having all sorts of problems getting Pansy to stay on her feet. Harry nudged Draco towards them. "Go and help the poor boy," he chuckled.
"You'll be alright?"
"Yeah, I'd wait for you but I really need the toilet," Harry said and started walking a little faster towards the castle. He was almost at the gates when Severus caught up with him.
"Did you have a good night dancing with all those boys?" he sneered as he fell into step beside Harry.
"Yes, thank you," Harry murmured. He really wasn't up for this.
"I saw you, with your hands all over them," Severus carried on, apparently hoping for a rise out of Harry. "You can't have loved me as much as you said or you'd be still crying into your pillow like the pathetic creature you are."
"And yet, here I am, enjoying a night out with my friends, I mustn't be all that pathetic after all."
"I bet you spent the night snivelling to Draco about how the nasty potions master treated you badly."
"I didn't. To be quite honest with you sir it appears you are the one that can't let this go. It was a mistake, I shouldn't have got attached to you and for that I apologise. Now we can get back to the student teacher relationship we had before and never speak about this again."
"Oh, I get it, you're too good to be upset over me, because of course, you're the saviour. I understand now," Severus snarled. Harry rolled his eyes. He couldn't help it.
"Professor Snape, what I do in my own time is my own business. Now I'd like to go to bed. Good night," Harry snapped. He walked into the castle and almost run to the eighth year common room.
Draco found him curled up on the settee when he arrived fifteen minutes later.
"I saw him pass us, but I thought he'd leave you alone," he whispered to his friend. Harry just shook his head and told Draco what happened.
"Seems to me like he was jealous," Draco remarked and Harry looked at him. He could see the spark of hope in the green eyes.
HPxSS
The following weekend the eighth years all went out together. There was still some tension between Harry, Ron and Hermione, but they had come to a tentative truce. Neville, Seamus and Blaise were all sat around the table with Harry and Draco chatting.
Draco had made Harry up tonight and he looked smoking hot. He had a plan, and that plan was to make Severus jealous if he appeared again. As the night wore on, he didn't turn up and Draco was a little pissed off.
A cute man, around twenty walked over to the group. "Would you like to dance?" he asked Harry.
Draco nudged Harry towards him. Harry smiled softly as he agreed and was walked onto the dance floor.
"I noticed you here last weekend," the man said, as they slow danced. "I actually wondered if you were with Blondie over there, you looked very close."
"No, we're not together, he's my best friend. So what's your name?"
"Sam. I guess I already know yours," Sam chuckled.
Harry raised an eyebrow slightly. "At least you don't pretend not to know me like some people. I hope you didn't ask me to dance because of who I am."
"I asked you to dance because I think your hot," Sam whispered close to Harry as he leant in for a kiss.
Harry leant back. "Whoa, what are you doing? I agreed to a dance not a make out session. I have to go," Harry said pushing him away, and walking back to the table.
"What's the matter Harry?" Draco asked as Harry sat back down with a sigh.
"He tried to kiss me and I panicked."
"Why? He's cute," Draco said, although he knew why.
"Yeah but he's not… well you know," Harry replied casting a glance at the others.
Draco nodded sympathetically. He held his hand out to Harry and led him to the dance floor himself.
Sam watched with narrowed eyes for a while before he left the pub. Not long after that Severus walked in.
Harry noticed him straight away as he headed straight towards them. He pushed roughly past Harry as he muttered, "Didn't take you long to find someone else to shag did it."
Harry stared at him for a moment before tears tipped from his eyes to his cheeks. He walked out of the bar. Draco stared after him for a moment before storming over to Severus.
"Hi Severus, maybe I should say Sam? What the hell are you doing to Harry? If you don't want him, fine, but why are you trying to make his life miserable. All he ever did to you was love you, which is something that nobody else has done for you. Don't forget Professor, I know you. Leave Harry the hell alone!"
Severus glared at Draco for a moment before lowering his gaze. "I love him," he whispered, so quietly that Draco didn't think he had heard right.
"I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me just fine."
"Why the hell are you treating him like this? Harry would have, and probably still would, given you everything. He already gave you his heart, which you stamped on then sliced up for potions ingredients."
"He'll leave me. They always do," Severus muttered.
"You don't know him very well at all if that's what you think. Either go and tell him how you feel or leave him to move on, because so help me god Severus, if you hurt him again, I will kill you. Painfully and slowly."
Severus stared at him for a moment before leaving the bar quickly. He found Harry sat by his favourite tree near the lake. It had taken him almost half an hour to get back to school because he had searched every alleyway and shadow he saw. He sat down beside the shaking teen gently.
"You'll catch your death sat here with no cloak," he murmured.
"Why the hell would you care? Go away Severus, leave me to cry pathetically in peace," Harry replied scathingly.
"Of course I care Harry, more than you would ever know," he replied quietly. Harry didn't answer, he just turned away.
"Harry please listen to me," Severus said pleadingly.
"No. I don't care what you have to say anymore. There's no more left for you to hurt, no more left for you to take, so LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!"
Harry got up from the tree and ran, as fast as his legs would carry him, back to the common room. He ran straight through the common room and up to his bed, where he warded the curtains against everyone but Draco. He needed his friend.
HPxSS
Monday morning dawned and Draco and Harry got a quick breakfast before heading down to the Dungeons for potions. Harry was nervous, and Draco was holding his hand, half in support and half so he didn't make a break for it.
They took their seats and Harry looked everywhere but the front of the room. Draco glanced at Severus and was surprised at what he saw. His hair was messy, his eyes bleary and he looked like he hadn't slept in days.
Severus stood up to address the class. "Today we're going to do some revision. I will ask you questions from the last six years. You will answer them. Potter! Where would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?"
"The stomach of a goat sir," Harry replied quietly, still looking at the floor.
"10 points to Gryffindor. Weasley…" Severus continued on in this vein until the end of the period and told them to leave.
"Potter, stay behind a moment," he said quietly, and Harry knew he could have left and pretended he didn't hear him. He stayed though, he was curious as to what was left unsaid.
Severus made sure there was no one else in the room and put up locking and silencing spells. He turned to Harry, who still refused to look at him.
"Harry, I'm sorry and I love you," he whispered.
Harry's head shot up. "What?"
"I'm sorry I hurt you and I love you," Severus said a little louder. "I pushed you away because…I thought I could save myself the hurt when you got bored with me. I thought it would be better to break up before I got hurt. Only it didn't work. Because I need you, and I love you, and I can't seem to function without you anymore."
Harry was crying. "Do you mean it?" he asked.
Severus nodded. "I promise."
"And you'll never try and push me away again?"
"Never."
Harry jumped into Severus's arms. He wrapped himself around him as he kissed every part or him he could reach until Severus pulled him into a searing kiss, so passionate that Harry's knee's went weak. He knew they still needed to talk. He knew they would take it slower this time. But he also knew, that they would be together for the rest of their lives, and they would be happy. Together.